ZyXel NSA325 not recognised when connected through ethernet switch?

[witters]

I have just bought a gigabit switch. Into this I have fed my Superhub 2 in modem mode. I have connected my Airport Extreme into the switch and it works fine. I have also connected my NAS into it and it is nowhere to be found on the network. Can anyone help please?

TIA

 

[mickevh]

We'd need to see a topology diagram to be sure, but if your SH is in modem mode and connected to a switch as described then you've probably either cross patched both your internal and external networks or don't have anything doing and routing/NAT to/from your ISP, or put your NAS outside the firewall of the AIrport (ie direct on the Internet) any of which which will cause you all sorts of pain.

Routers are used to join separate networks together. In a SOHO router the networks are A) everything participating in your internal network (downstream of the LAN ports and wi-fi connected devices) and B) everything upstream of the WAN/Internet port of your ISP connected router. Connected and configured as you've described you've possibly cross-patched your internal and external networks and eliminated the separation of the two.

Either:

Turn off modem mode in your SH and use it as a router and leave connected as described then use the Airport solely as a Wi-Fi Access Point (as described in this forums "Using two routers together" FAQ.) You'll need to refresh all the IP addresses of your client devices if you do this.

Or:

If you're determined to use the airport as a router, connect SH (modem mode) direct to the WAN/Internet port of the Airport (with nothing in between) and connect your switch downstream of one of the Airport LAN ports.

 

[witters]

Blimey!

Basically I use the Airport as a router in the lounge as I want good internet speed and to connect the lan ports to my BD player and Sky HD box. I keep the NAS in the dining room as it's fairly noisy in operation mainly due to the fan. I have a cat 6 cable run from my lounge to the dining room connecting the Airport to the SH2. I don't use the SH2 wirelessly as it's useless.

From what you have said it seems I cannot do what I am trying to do. I don't want to have to connect the switch to the Airport as the NAS is in the dining room, nor do I want to use the Airport solely as a wireless router.

Sounds like I'm snookered....

 

[mickevh]

I'd use the first solution. I can't see why the SH wouldn't give you "good internet speed" as it will have been selected by the ISP to work well with their equipment at the exchange.

Have you tried it and seen problems or are you buying into Internet Myth about ISP routers X, Y and Z being responsible for poor everything from wi-fi, routing to UKIP weather..? I'd try it and "fix" any problems if/when I encountered them rather than buying into much Internet Myth.

I suppose the only issue could be if your AirPort doesn't have enough LAN ports to service all your devices in it's local, but another cheap (fanless) switch would fix that.

ISP+++[WAN]SuperHub(routing on)[LAN]-----switch/NAS/et/al------[LAN]Airport(configured as AP.)

 

[witters]

Well the SH2 is in the dining room and gives me speeds of around 20mbs in the lounge. The Airport gives me around 100mbs in the lounge. Believe me I have tried it on and off for months. That's why I bought the Airport.

 

[witters]

Would I be able to add an Airport Express into the dining room to extend the Extreme's network and just plug the NAS into the Express?

 

[mickevh]

Well the SH2 is in the dining room and gives me speeds of around 20mbs in the lounge. The Airport gives me around 100mbs in the lounge. Believe me I have tried it on and off for months. That's why I bought the Airport.

Fair enough - I guess the only other thing I'd ask is how you are measuring that - wired or wi-fi...? If wi-fi, I'd test using a cabled PC as wi-fi is fickle enough in it's own right and eliminating wi-fi from any tests will give you a better handle on the WAN-to-LAN routing performance.

 

[mickevh]

Would I be able to add an Airport Express into the dining room to extend the Extreme's network and just plug the NAS into the Express?

Do you mean in place of the dining room switch...? If so, then it's no different - the "LAN" ports in a SOHO router are a built-in switch so offer no improvement over a stand alone switch.

If you want to keep the Extreme as your routing device, then whatever devices you require on your internal network have to be downstream of it's WAN/LAN boundary.

So you could do something like this...

ISP+++[WAN]SH(modem mode)[LAN]-----[WAN]Airport(configured as router/AP.)[LAN]----switch/NAS/et/al

....but that would mean moving the Extreme into you dining room (if I'm reading your geography right) with the NAS which may clobber wi-fi. Thence to fix that you'd have to add another wi-fi device in your lounge.

Alternatively the same topology could be acheived if you could pull an extra network cable between lounge and dining room. You may then not need the switch if the only dining room device is your NAS.

 

[witters]

Well I am borrowing an Airport Express from these forums. I can use this to extend the network and it has a lan port. Are you saying this will not work? If so, I could put the Extreme in the dining room with the airport in the lounge.

 

[mickevh]

The latter should work I think: Physical placement is only really relevant for the wi-fi links (the closer together and least obstructed the communicating pairs are the better,) what matters in terms of your network is the topology. Whatever is doing your routing/NAT needs to be upstream of everything else.

In the "using two routers together FAQ" I've attached a block diagram of a typical SOHO router. It may help you visualize what to connect to what.

 

[witters]

Thanks very much indeed. Much appreciated!